Re: [Philmont]: Cell Phones - Reality Check

I feel compeled to comment about cell phones from personal experience.

We took mine on our trek in 2000, even though policy and the ranger told us not to.
Obviously coverage is VERY spotty (mostly from high places), and it's not
consistent with a "wilderness" experience.

BUT - it can save someones life. Mine did.

We were hiking towords base camp on Tooth Ridge our last day
when a single scout came running up from behind us. We stopped him
to ask what was the matter. One of the adults in his crew (several miles back)
had apparently had a heart attack (they had a doctor in their crew) and he
was trying to RUN the whole way back to base camp for help. I think 2 scouts
had set off but this one had run faster. We were at least 2 hours from basecamp,
and running down that stretch of trail is a really bad idea.

I got out my cellphone and a copy of the "Guide to Adventure",
found the basecamp number and our scoutmaster called them. A couple of hours
later four rangers with medical gear jogged by us on their way there to help.
(Eventually they got a helicopter in to airlift him out).

That was the incident which resulted in the policy changing.

No it PROBABLY won't be needed, and you probably won't have coverage if it is,
but you probably won't need much of the stuff in your 1st aid kit either.
We didn't even have any blisters in our crew.

Is that reason enough not to bring one along, just in case ??

Tom Corrigan
Troop 72 / Glenwood MD.

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Received on Tue Apr 29 13:06:52 2003